


Think of Me When You're Out There

by frenchtuck



Series: All I Wanted was You [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (Or is it?), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Dad Jokes, F/F, Found Family, Italics, Mild Language, and blood family as well, heavy implication that religion exists in the bonds we forge through chosen love, if you aren't into italics, serious about the italics, this fic ain't for you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25779574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenchtuck/pseuds/frenchtuck
Summary: In the moments between Byleth's post-battle collapse and her first heartbeat, she wakes up back in that familiar darkness between worlds. She is greeted by the most human of gods and is ushered into a new era of love and awakening.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Jeralt Reus Eisner/Sitri Eisner & My Unit | Byleth
Series: All I Wanted was You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876111
Comments: 6
Kudos: 87





	Think of Me When You're Out There

**Author's Note:**

> title loosely pulled from all i wanted by paramore. the italics represent Byleth's inner monologue as she #feelsthings. lmk if the formatting makes sense! comments and feedback welcome and appreciated.

When Byleth first opened her eyes, there was nothing. She remembered this nothing; it was the same nothing that greeted her when she was visited by Sothis in dreams, the nothingness that swallowed her after her encounter with Solon. She stood slowly and looked around and felt certain she was alone. _Am I dead?_

She felt alive, at least she thought she did. She remembered the battle, remembered Seiros’s mangled form stretched in front of her, remembered the gold of Edelgard’s armor tinged with red after their hellish descent onto the burning city. _Edelgard… have I died before I could give her dad’s ring?_

  
Byleth reflected on all she could piece together before arriving. Seiros was certainly dead, but she could not recall what had followed. How did she get back here?

  
“Hey, kid” grunted a familiar voice from behind her. “What the hell have you done to your hair?” Byleth spun around at the unmistakable sound of her father’s easy tambour. He had materialized behind her, not looking a day older than just before his death.  
A lazy smile curled on his lips; his eyes were full of love. Her father stood tall, as glorious and mysterious as when he’d been forced to leave her.

  
She ran to him without thinking, throwing herself into his embrace. He grunted at the impact and ruffled her hair with amused laughter. Jeralt had always been the only person who could manage to make her feel small, and suddenly she felt impossibly tiny again with her nose buried in his chest.

  
“Damn, kid. You’ve really been busy, haven’t you? Can’t say I expected you to take my advice about Rhea to heart.”  
Byleth pulled back to look at him, her iridescent hair getting caught in her eyes. “Dad?” she ventured. “You know? About the war?” The captain chuckled, this time laced with a somber tone she’d never heard from him.

  
“ ‘Course I know. You really think your old man wouldn’t be keepin’ an eye on ya? You really are as out of it as they say.” Byleth blushed, unsure of why she hadn’t considered the possibility of her dad keeping an eye on her.

_I’ve already been the vessel for a goddess. This might as well be true._

“You say that like it isn’t your fault.” She deadpanned, her eyes light from their banter. The knight let out a belly laugh and nodded at the assertion. “Ya got a point, kid. Goddess, I’ve missed you. Can’t believe it’s been five years. Nearly Six!”

_I left Edelgard for five years. Did she miss me this much?_

  
“Hey, speaking of the goddess, there’s someone you oughta meet.” Jeralt interrupted her and gestured toward the void that echoed behind him, only unique in its emptiness. For a moment, Byleth was sure her dad was messing with her again. She glanced sidelong at him, not in the mood for another one of his jests.

Suddenly, behind her, a woman’s soft voice sounded.  
“My child,” half-whispered the voice. “I have waited your whole life to meet you.”

Byleth turned to see a slight woman with teal hair and dark blue eyes standing where there had once been nothingness. The woman was dressed in all white, and the expression on her face was nothing short of divine. The two held eye contact, unable to tear away their gazes. Their resemblance was uncanny, sublime even. Immediately, Byleth recognized her.  
“This is your mother, kid. Sitri Eisner. I can’t believe you finally get to meet.” Jeralt moved to stand beside his wife, gently brushing his hand onto the small of her back. Byleth had never seen her father move with such blatant tenderness, like Sitri was too holy to be touched.

Byleth extended her hand to reach for her mother’s; when their fingertips touched, it felt like the moment she had fused with Sothis those five long years ago. _Is my mother a goddess? Or is this what it feels like to be loved?_ She pushed the thought from her mind and let a grin overtake her face. She wasn’t used to being so captivated by her own emotions.  
“Mom…” Byleth paused, so delighted and conflicted at once. “I think I killed Rhea.” A tear fell from Sitri’s eye, and she shook her head. “My dear girl,” she responded. “If I had known what she did to you, I would have killed her myself.”

  
Byleth grinned and moved to hug the crying woman. “It’s nice to meet you, mom. I never imagined it would be so soon.” Jeralt cocked his head toward them, a confused look on his face. “You don’t think you’re stayin’ here, do you? C’mon kid, everyone’s waitin’ on ya. Especially the Hresvelg girl, that poor kid is beside herself.”

  
Byleth pulled away from Sitri and stared at her dad. “You know Edelgard?” Sitri moved to brush Byleth’s resplendent locks from her forehead and cupped her cheek in her hand. “Of course, darling. She visits your father and I at the cemetery often.” Sitri and Jeralt shared a knowing look; like they knew something so utterly joyful that it couldn’t be contained to just one of them.

_Edelgard visits my parents’ grave?_

  
Byleth stared at her mother, unable to process that Edelgard had come to visit the two’s resting place without telling her. “Byleth,” her father grunted, “you killed a god for this girl. Are you really surprised to hear that she loves you too?”  
“She loves me too?” Byleth whispered, her chest aching in an unfamiliar way. There was a slow, steady pounding under her left clavicle that she had never felt before.

 _She loves me too. Edelgard loves me back_ _._

  
Her hand raised to cover the spot in shock. She felt a hand ghost her forearm and looked up to see Sitri gazing at her, eyes again wet with tears.  
“Byleth, you are so loved. By your father and me, but by your new family as well. I know we will be reunited someday, but your friends need you more. Fodlan needs you more.” Byleth’s eyes watered as her mother continued. “My child, Edelgard needs you most.” A tear fell down Byleth’s cheek at the thought of leaving her family so soon. “Rhea used to call me that.” She stated without thinking.

“Well, now she’s dead. Maybe you should have considered the repercussions of going to war with the church before realizing you wanted a mother figure.” Jeralt joked, his dry sense of humor echoing in the emptiness around them. Sitri swatted his hand and scolded him, but there was laughter in her eyes. Jeralt laughed again, and Byleth chuckled at the innocence of their exchange. The young mercenary was taken with how closely it resembled the mirth of her friends, how her two families resembled one another.

  
Sitri turned to Byleth and smiled sadly, clearly heartbroken by what had to come next.  
“Darling, I know you just met me, but you have to go now. I wish we could spend eternity getting reacquainted, but you must rise and make your new future. Even if you can’t see us, know that we will be with you every second of every day.” Sitri lifted onto her toes to wrap Byleth in one last hug and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

  
Jeralt gave her a sad look from over his wife’s shoulder. “Listen, kid. I gave you that ring for a reason. Use it.” Byleth pulled away from her mother’s embrace and looked at her once more, determined to remember the light of her smile. “And make sure she knows that I forgive her, ok? No use for her to carry that guilt around while trying to heal a broken country.” She looked back to Jeralt and nodded curtly. “I will, dad.” Her father smiled and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, the three of them laughing at the grunt that escaped Byleth’s lips as he enveloped her.  
Byleth pulled away and her eyes narrowed. “I’m ready. I’m ready for the future I chose.”

_I’m ready to be with the woman I love._

Sitri came forward again, looking shattered and proud at the same time.  
Reverently, she placed her hand on Byleth’s head; slowly, the mercenary’s vision started to fade and bright, cerulean green light started to radiate from her head like a halo. She saw the faint outline of her parents waving, hands joined between them.

 _I will love Edelgard as much as my parents love each other_ , Byleth thought. Then, her mind went blank.

  
_Rain pelted down from the heavens and Byleth fell back into the world with the sounds of laughter and a weak heartbeat in her ears. Her hair had faded miraculously to a dull teal, and the arms around her felt more like home than anywhere she had ever lived. She could just make out the hot sting of tears falling onto her face, and she smiled despite herself. She was alive, she was loved, and she was in love herself. The weight of the ring in her breast pocket dug into her rib, along with the knowledge that this love especially had made her strong. Tomorrow, she would rise to greet the sun and see if her future followed._

**Author's Note:**

> should I extend this a chapter to include Edelgard's point of view? I have ideas but can't decide if they're worth indulging.


End file.
